Network security management is becoming a more difficult problem as networks grow in size and become a more integral part of organizational operations. Attacks on networks are growing both due to the intellectual challenge such attacks represent for hackers and due to the increasing payoff for the serious attacker. Furthermore, the attacks are growing beyond the current capability of security management tools to identify and quickly respond to those attacks. As various attack methods are tried and ultimately repulsed, the attackers will attempt new approaches with more subtle attack features. Thus, maintaining network security is on-going, ever changing, and an increasingly complex problem.
Computer network attacks can take many forms and any one attack may include many security events of different types. Security events are anomalous network conditions each of which may cause an anti-security effect to a computer network. Security events include stealing confidential or private information; producing network damage through mechanisms such as viruses, worms, or Trojan horses; overwhelming the network's capability in order to cause denial of service, and so forth.
Security systems often employ security risk-assessment tools, i.e. “scanners,” to search for known types of security events in the form of malicious programs such as viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Still yet, scanners are used for content filtering to enforce an organization's operational policies [i.e. detecting harassing or pornographic content, junk e-mails, misinformation (virus hoaxes), etc.].
Unfortunately, such scanners are often susceptible to tampering, deactivation, removal, etc., especially when the scanners are installed on a client computer readily accessible by a user. Often, such user may intentionally disable a scanner to increase the speed of his or her computer, or may unintentionally remove the software during the normal course of use of the computer. In still other scenarios, some users do not take the time to update the scanners with the latest virus signatures that are currently available.
These situations often result in a client computer that is highly susceptible to a virus attack or the like, especially when access is gained to an unsecured network such as the Internet. There is thus a need for a more effective method of enforcing anti-virus policies.